Rigatoni all'amatriciana

In anticipation of seeing Eat Pray Love tonight, I had been craving some gorgeous Italian food all day long to fulfill the "eat" component of the movie. I needed something simple yet rich, something comforting yet different. For me, that turned out to be Rigatoni all'amatriciana.


I never actually at this while in Italy or even remember seeing it on menus since it is not a typical Tuscan dish. Sugo all'amatriciana originated in the Lazio region, located west and central encompassing Rome.

This is super easy to make and requires just a few ingredients that I always have on hand - and you should too!

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Pancetta
• Red pepper flakes
• Whole canned tomatoes
• Rigatoni
• Parmigiano cheese

Warm a little bit of olive oil over low-medium heat. Add in your diced onion (about 1/4 inch pieces) and cubed pancetta of the same size. The pancetta will give off more fat, so don't overdo the oil. As those are cooking add in your red pepper flakes. Once the onions are translucent and then pancetta is brown and crispy, add in your whole canned tomatoes (or fresh, peeled tomatoes if you are so inclined). Break up the tomato with a wooden spoon. You will no doubt squirt your beautiful, clean white shirt with lots of sauce. Don't stress and make a note to buy some bleach. Let this simmer until your pasta is done cooking.

For your pasta, add the noodles to a pot of salted, rapidly boiling water. Give it a stir. Make sure to check every couple of minutes for texture. When it is just about cooked, remove the rigatoni with a slotted spoon and transfer it to the sauce. You want some of the pasta water because the wonderful starches that are in it will help the sauce stick to your noodles and rehydrate your sauce if it became too dry in the cooking process. Mix well, season with black pepper and salt. Transfer to your plate and cover with grated parmigiano cheese or, to be more authentic, pecorino.

Buon appetito!

If you're feeling brave and what to try to actually pronounce this dish, it goes something like "rig-a-ton-ee alla-ma-tree-chi-ana". Try to say that three times fast!